Doctor Who: Season 26
It was the final season of the "classic" series. Unusually for a Doctor Who season, aside from some scenes in Survival, all the stories took place on Earth. Apart from Battlefield, the stories followed a loose character arc, as Ace came to terms with her past. As for the Doctor, he had become darker in personality, treating others as pawns in the battle between good and evil while dressing in dark clothes to match hi
Season 26 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Doctor Who Season 25.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Season overview
It was the final season of the "classic" series. Unusually for a Doctor Who season, aside from some scenes in Survival, all the stories took place on Earth. Apart from Battlefield, the stories followed a loose character arc, as Ace came to terms with her past. As for the Doctor, he had become darker in personality, treating others as pawns in the battle between good and evil while dressing in dark clothes to match his personality change. This was the first and so far only season to be produced entirely out of broadcast order.
Episode Guide
Season 26 Progress Shield
Battlefield (1)
Sep 6, 1989 · 25 min
As UNIT are transporting a nuclear warhead around Carbury, knights in armour arrive to continue waging a war that began thousands of years ago, but in a wholly different dimension.
Battlefield (2)
Sep 13, 1989 · 25 min
The Doctor and Ace discover a stone spaceship underneath Warmsley's archaeological dig while Mordred summons Morgaine to Earth's dimension.
Battlefield (3)
Sep 20, 1989 · 25 min
The Brigadier rescues the Doctor from the stone spaceship before they set out to locate Morgaine before she gains Excalibur.
Battlefield (4)
Sep 27, 1989 · 25 min
Morgaine forces Ace and Shou Yuing to hand over Excalibur by threatening to release the Destroyer, so the Doctor and the Brigadier enter a dimensional portal to stop her.
Ghost Light (1)
Oct 4, 1989 · 25 min
The Doctor and Ace explore Victorian house Gabriel Chase and realise it hides just as many dark secrets in its drawing room as it does in its dark cellar.
Ghost Light (2)
Oct 11, 1989 · 25 min
The Doctor manages to rescue Ace from the husks and then tries to uncover the truth about the goings on in Josiah's house.
Ghost Light (3)
Oct 18, 1989 · 25 min
Only Redvers, still searching for the elusive Saxe-Coburg, seems able to withstand Light and communicate with Control. Ace realises her past actions need to be dealt with.
The Curse of Fenric (1)
Oct 25, 1989 · 25 min
England, the 1940s. The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Ace to a secret naval base during WWII. There, the time-travellers battle vampiric Haemovores and an ancient Viking curse!
The Curse of Fenric (2)
Nov 1, 1989 · 25 min
The Doctor and Ace manage to convince Sorin to release them while Millington and Judson attempt to translate the Viking runes.
The Curse of Fenric (3)
Nov 8, 1989 · 25 min
The Doctor and his friends come under attack from the Haemavores, allowing Millington to retrieve the flask containing Fenric's essence.
The Curse of Fenric (4)
Nov 15, 1989 · 25 min
Fenric is loose and planning to use the Ancient Haemovore to poison the Earth with chemicals, unless the Doctor can defeat him in their centuries old game.
Survival (1)
Nov 22, 1989 · 25 min
Perivale, England, the late 1980s. People are vanishing into thin air under the baleful stare of a very strange cat. The Doctor and Ace learn that, in the battle for survival, succ
Survival (2)
Nov 29, 1989 · 25 min
The Doctor and Paterson manage to escape from the Master and join up with Ace and her friends, where the Doctor tries to find a way to get them all off the planet before it explode
Survival (3)
Dec 6, 1989 · 25 min
Ace manages to transport the Doctor and the others back to Perivale but the Master is also there, preparing for a final showdown with the Doctor.